Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and the White House are contradicting each other’s accounts of a meeting between House Republicans and President Barack Obama. Durbin posted on his Facebook wall over the weekend that during a White House meeting, one GOP leader told Obama: “I cannot even stand to look at you.”

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Carney: Quote didn't happen

Durbin’s comments — leveled at a GOP lawmaker he refused to name during a meeting he didn’t attend — were called into question on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. House Republicans and the Obama administration refuted the account and the GOP sought an apology.

“I looked into this and spoke with somebody who was in that meeting and it did not happen,” said White House press secretary Jay Carney. “My understanding is that, again, from a participant in the meeting, that that didn’t happen.”

After the briefing, the White House declined to elaborate other than to reiterate that the administration doesn’t believe anyone said this to the president.

A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner suggested that Durbin made up the exchange.

“Senator Durbin’s accusation is a serious one, and it appears to have been invented out of thin air. The senator should disclose who told him this account of events, retract his reckless allegation immediately, and apologize,” said Brendan Buck.

But even in the face of GOP outrage and with no cover from the White House, Durbin didn’t back down.

“Durbin stands by his comments,” said Max Gleischman, a spokesman for the Illinois Democrat.

More than a dozen House Republicans went to the White House on Oct. 10 to meet with Obama. Durbin wasn’t in the meeting and he hasn’t specified which lawmaker he believes made the comment, when the comment was made or explained how he heard about it.

Durbin and his caucus also visited the White House on Oct. 10 in a separate meeting that occurred just hours before the House Republicans stopped by. Durbin visited with Obama again two days later along with the rest of the Democratic leadership team, including Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Chuck Schumer of New York and Patty Murray of Washington.

The gatherings took place during the heart of the 16-day government shutdown as Congress wrestled with a solution to reopening the government.

In total, 18 House Republicans attended the Oct. 10 meeting with the president, including 12 members of GOP leadership including Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor as well as six key committee chairmen. Several attendees of the House GOP-Obama meeting denied the comments.

In the Facebook post, Durbin said the House Republican’s comments came during a “‘negotiation’ meeting with the president,’” and said that rhetoric flew directly in the face of Republican critiques of Obama’s lack of communication with the GOP.

“What are the chances of an honest conversation with someone who has just said something so disrespectful?” Durbin asked.